BATTLE CREEK, Mich. --The first group of 16British
Airways cadets will arrive in style next month for training at
Western Michigan University's aviation facilities in Battle Creek.

A British Airways Concorde, the supersonic flagship of the
London-based airlines' fleet, will make a rare Midwest appearance
Saturday, March 7, when it lands at Battle Creek's W.K. Kellogg
Airport to deliver the cadets. The visit marks the first time
the Concorde has made a stop in Southwest Michigan.

The cadets are traveling to Battle Creek to begin a year of
study at the WMU School of Aviation Sciences' new International
Pilot Training Centre. They represent the first class of students
to be trained under the terms of a two-year, $6 million contract
announced by the airline and the University in December. WMU is
home to the only collegiate aviation program in the United States
that has been approved for pilot training by the United Kingdom's
Civil Aviation Authority.

The 100-passenger plane will carry the cadets, British Airways
officials and invited community and University officials, who
will board the flight at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. The
world's only supersonic passenger plane, the Concorde crosses
oceans and deserts at twice the speed of sound -- 1,350 miles
per hour -- and has completed the New York to London run in just
under three hours. For the New York to Battle Creek trip, the
Concorde will fly at the lower speed levels required over populated
land masses.

British Airways owns seven of the 12 Concordes in service around
the world, with Air France operating the other five. Commercial
supersonic flights between the United States and Britain began
in 1976. The plane is 204 feet long and has a wingspan of almost
84 feet.

Exact arrival and departure times for the plane are not yet
set, but it is expected that the Concorde will be on the ground
in Battle Creek for about two hours. Landing and take-off times
will be announced at a later date for members of the public who
might wish to watch the plane.

There are a limited number of seats that may be available for
members of the media who wish to board the plane in New York and
fly into Battle Creek.

For more information about media seating or about the Concorde's
visit to Battle Creek, persons should contact Cheryl Roland in
the Office of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications at
(616) 387-8412.